North Lanarkshire Council has strong foundations for the future, report reveals

The Accounts Commission said the council is committed to improving local communities and investing in the local economy. The council has some of the best performing housing and homelessness services in Scotland. There is a strong focus on working with partner organisations. This includes work across health and social care and creating opportunities for young people in the area to learn and develop their careers.

However, there are clear challenges ahead. Satisfaction with council services continues to decline. The council faces a growing budget gap of nearly £137 million over the next five years. It must signal how it will bridge this gap, setting out clearly how services will be delivered in the longer-term with the money available.

The council is in a strong position to address the challenges but needs to set its intentions out clearly, as well as setting out how it will report its performance publicly and concluding the review of how decisions are made and managed.

Jo Armstrong, chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “Staff at North Lanarkshire Council are committed to engaging with communities, with a clear focus on partnership working. But the financial challenges are increasing and it’s clear the performance of services is mixed, and overall satisfaction is declining.

“Change is vital to secure services for the future. The council must focus on where limited resources are best spent, understanding the impact of investment and change on service performance, satisfaction rates and whether these changes are improving the lives of local people.”

Des Murray, the council’s chief executive, said, “This is an overwhelmingly positive report that clearly recognises how we have reshaped our operations to deliver real change where it matters most.

“What started as an ambitious vision quickly turned into action. We have transformed how we work by implementing a place-based approach that drives better outcomes for people and communities. 

“We’ve created community hubs that brings services, learning, and support under one roof that is delivered by the council, partners and third sector. A 43% increase in GVA in the six years since The Plan for North Lanarkshire started, outperforms the Scottish average, meaning the area is producing more economic output per person and attracting more investment.

“By building a stronger digital and physical infrastructure, we’ve unlocked new opportunities for investment, connectivity, and thriving communities. Considerable progress has also been made over the last few years to improve outcomes for children and young people, such as the highest-ever breastfeeding rate and education attainment, creating alternative career pathways, leaving a lasting mark for future generations.

“A strategic shift to address the widening budget gap is common to all local authorities with service redesign and change plans critical but it must be underpinned by a balanced approach to ensure sustainable service delivery without impacting on the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“We have already acted on the auditor’s advice by reviewing our governance to strengthen oversight, and our reserves policy, to allow more flexibility for transformational change while safeguarding a sustainable financial base to manage risk and future pressures.

“This council is committed to delivering for residents even while we continue to face very real challenges such as child poverty. It’s vital that we learn from reviews such as this and take on board recommendations so that we are always improving our services for local people.”